Writer's Deceit Hurt Journalism

July 22, 1996|The Morning Call

It's no big deal that Newsweek and CBS political commentator Joe Klein wrote the hugely successful novel "Primary Colors" that parodied Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. The big deal is that he lied often and vigorously about his authorship.

Joe Klein is supposed to be a journalist and because of his positions with Newsweek and CBS, he is among the nation's most influential. A journalist's stock in trade is his or her credibility. If a journalist isn't trustworthy enough to believe, he or she undermines the public's acceptance in what is reported -- and by extension, taints the work of colleagues.

It's bad enough the public holds the news gathering media in such low regard today. Mr. Klein's duplicity only deepens the public's confusion of who they should believe. The fact that his Newsweek editor, Maynard Parker, shared in the deceit only strengthens the public's natural tendency to think journalists are all a bunch of liars.

They aren't. But they are human like everyone else. Some take their work more seriously than others, vigilantly guarding their credibility. Others get caught up in the habits of those they cover or the glare of the news. In this case, Mr. Klein had millions of dollars of motivation to keep Anonymous anonymous as long as possible. Protecting his anonymity wasn't the same thing as protecting the confidentiality of a news source. Refusal to divulge privileged information is not the same thing as lying. Mr. Klein forgot his responsibility as a journalist. As a result, he impugned the integrity of his profession. He should now stick to fiction writing and leave journalism to those who care about the truth.